Probably belongs in the History & Nostalgia section, but in the early 1960s down expresses from Bristol etc to Exeter would call at Taunton, hauled by a Castle, and a number of these changed enginemen here. Across the platform in the bay would be the Minehead branch train, which followed the same route westward for a couple of miles to Norton Fitzwarren before turning off. If the crew were lucky they had one of the powerful 61xx recently displaced from London by diesels. The timetable had the Minehead leaving several minutes after the express, for although there were four tracks westwards, the branch train needed to go right across the layout at Norton to head north.
However the main train was not infrequently a bit late, the connection was held (younger readers may be puzzled at such a quaint concept), and the platform inspector would be hurrying along any connecting passengers, so both trains were ready to go at the same time. The two locomotives were typically alongside one another. The two crews would be good mates from Taunton shed. Green flags on the platform, an exchange of hand gestures between the crews, a pop each on their whistles, and they were off, the Castle winding its train over the crossover to the Down Main and the 61xx winding in parallel out onto the Down Relief.
Viewed from the old footbridge half a mile to the west it was a spectacle. The Castle, full regulator and reverser in full forward, would have anything up to 12 on, while the Minehead was just a 4-coach pair of old GWR B-sets. The point of honour was for the Minehead to show his tail lamp to the Castle crew, while the latter were out for as much speed as they could before hitting the bottom of Wellington bank. The branch train didn't have long to do it because in less than a mile they would need to shut off for their adverse signals, so here they come, driver's nose up against the spectacle glass concentrating forward, while the fireman is looking back over the cab door on the right to see if they have made it. Up on the footbridge, youthful Taunton is standing on top of the down tracks, the Minehead is first under and enveloped it in steam and smoke, then a couple of seconds later the express did it again on a far greater scale. By the time they pass under Staplegrove Road bridge, to the west, the Minehead, victory in hand, is already shut off. It'll be the main line crew buying the first round in the Station Inn when they get home later tonight.
Wow!
